Luck (TV series)
| Luck | |
|---|---|
| Created by | David Milch |
| Starring | Dustin Hoffman Dennis Farina John Ortiz Richard Kind Kevin Dunn Ian Hart Ritchie Coster Jason Gedrick Kerry Condon Gary Stevens Tom Payne Jill Hennessy Nick Nolte |
| Opening theme | "Splitting the Atom" by Massive Attack |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 1 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Dustin Hoffman |
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | December 11, 2011 – present |
Luck is an American dramatic television series created by David Milch and starring Dustin Hoffman. The pilot episode was directed by Michael Mann. The series premiered on January 29, 2012. HBO aired the first episode on December 11, 2011 as a preview.[1]
Plot
"The pilot is about a bunch of intersecting lives in the world of horse racing ... It's a subject which has engaged and some might say has compelled me for 50 years. I find it as complicated and engaging a special world as any I've ever encountered, not only in what happens in the clubhouse and the grandstand, but also on the backside of the track, where the training is done and where they house the horses."
—David Milch[2]
Luck stars Dustin Hoffman as Chester "Ace" Bernstein, "a man in his late 60s just released from three years in prison who's autodidactic, intelligent, and deeply involved in gambling. In the pilot episode, Ace's driver, Gus (Dennis Farina), comes to pick him up after being released from prison. Gus informs him that he has recently become registered as a licensed horse owner, as a front for his boss, Turo Escalante (John Ortiz). He's also arranged for the purchase of a horse from Ireland, which is now stationed at Escalante's stable."[3]
Simultaneously, a group of four degenerate gamblers have unwittingly discovered a ploy by Escalante. Marcus, Lonnie, Renzo, and Jerry believe that Escalante has been having the exercise jockeys ride a particular horse slowly in its opening trials. They place an $800 bet on a pick six, with the chance to win $2 million. A series of unlikely events ensue, and the four are suddenly rich.
Cast
Main
- Dustin Hoffman as Chester "Ace" Bernstein
- Dennis Farina as Gus Economou
- John Ortiz as Turo Escalante
- Richard Kind as Joey Rathburn
- Kevin Dunn as Marcus
- Ian Hart as Lonnie
- Ritchie Coster as Renzo
- Jason Gedrick as Jerry
- Kerry Condon as Rosie
- Gary Stevens as Ronnie Jenkins
- Tom Payne as Leon Micheaux
- Jill Hennessy as Jo
- Nick Nolte as Walter Smith
Production
Conception
"I hope it's a love letter. By saying that, I'm not saying it's a story coming through rose-colored glasses. To me, the track is what the river was to Mark Twain. Where you see the most life and interesting people, go there. That's what I've done."
—David Milch on his love for horseracing.[4]
Before creating Luck, David Milch had worked on television for three decades. He started off as a writer on the series Hill Street Blues before co-creating NYPD Blue with Steven Bochco and creating the HBO series Deadwood. Milch had been fascinated by horseracing from an early age as his father would take him to the track. “My dad started taking me to Saratoga at age 5 or 6. You have so many associations from childhood that stay with you.”[4] He stated that he had been thinking creating the series for 25 years and always pictured that it would be set in Santa Anita. "It's the most beautiful setting for horse racing that I've seen, and I'd include Saratoga," he said.[4]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (million) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Michael Mann | David Milch | December 11, 2011 | 1.14[5] |
| 2 | "Episode Two" | Terry George | John R. Perrotta | February 5, 2012[6] | TBA |
| 3 | "Episode Three"[6] | Allen Coulter | Bill Barich | February 12, 2012[6] | TBA |
| 4 | "Episode Four"[6] | Phillip Noyce | Jay Hovdey | February 19, 2012[6] | TBA |
| 5 | "Episode Five"[6] | Brian Kirk | Scott Willson | February 26, 2012[6] | TBA |
| 6 | "Episode Six"[6] | Unknown | Unknown | March 4, 2012[6] | TBA |
| 7 | "Episode Seven"[6] | Unknown | Unknown | March 11, 2012[6] | TBA |
| 8 | "Episode Eight"[6] | Unknown | Unknown | March 18, 2012[6] | TBA |
| 9 | "Episode Nine"[6] | Unknown | Unknown | March 25, 2012[6] | TBA |
Reception
Critical reception
Luck has received positive reviews from television critics. On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the first season scored 74/100[7] indicating "Generally favorable reviews."
Linda Stasi from New York Post praised the series overall, stating, "With an impossibly good cast, writing so spot-on it's poetic, and slow-build stories, I, for one, was left wanting more--even after watching the entire season."[8] Newsday's Verne Gay praised the talent behind the series, "There are three excellent reasons--Milch, Mann and Hoffman--why your faith will be rewarded."[9] Alan Sepinwall from HitFix called the series "clear and engaging" and praised Hoffman's lead performance: "Hoffman is the big name, and gives an impressively buttoned-down performance."[10]
Ratings
The December premiere garnered a total of 1.14 million viewers on its original airing with a 0.36 ratings share among adults 18-49.[5]
International distribution
| Country | Channel | Premiere date |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Sky Atlantic | February 2012 [11] |
| New Zealand | Soho (New Zealand) | February 2012 |
| Spain | Canal+ | February 2012 |
References
- ^ Pennington, Gail. "HBO places its bets on new series 'Luck'". Retrieved December 12, 2011.
- ^ Fleming, Michael (January 5, 2010). "Mann, Milch in 'Luck' with HBO". Variety. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
- ^ O'Connell, Sean. "Dustin Hoffman tries "Luck" for HBO". Retrieved August 6, 2011.
- ^ a b c Pugmire, Lance (December 25, 2011). "Q&A: David Milch on horse racing and iconic TV series". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
- ^ a b Seidman, Robert (December 12, 2011). "Friday Cable Ratings: 'Gold Rush' Wins Again + 'Smackdown,' 'Sanctuary,' 'For Better or Worse' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Shows A-Z - luck on hbo". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ^ "Luck: Season 1". Metacritic.
- ^ Stasi, Linda (January 26, 2012). "'Luck' horse-track characters are best since 'Sopranos'". New York Post.
- ^ Gay, Verne (January 25, 2012). "Review: As 'Luck' has it, we like the handicap". Newsday.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (January 25, 2012). "Review: Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte head to the track in HBO's 'Luck'". HitFix.
- ^ "Any plans to show Luck on Sky Atlantic?". Sky Atlantic on Twitter. 2011-11-29. Retrieved 2011-12-17.